If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’ve likely encountered some rumor surrounding the SIG P320. It’s something a lot of ‘experts’ like to jump on and give their two cents. As an avid pistol user and concealed carrier, I saw this entire debacle as a reminder of how much is taken for granted in the concealed carry community.
Because of that, I wanted to write in and give four helpful things that every concealed carrier should never forget when it comes to pistols and concealed carry.
#4: Never forget the trigger
A lot of gun owners are strangely superstitious about carrying a round in the chamber. There’s a lot of misinformation out there in regards to guns going off in the holster. Guns don’t go off in the holster. There will be people who will allege their gun has gone off in the holster as a last ditch plea to excuse their poor trigger control and handling of their firearm but make no mistake — no bullet will leave your gun unless you pull the trigger first.
Recently, there was a widely covered incident involving a police officer in Connecticut alleging his pistol went off in the holster. This lead to wide-spread speculation that it’s possible for a gun to go off in the holster without being touched.
This is ridiculous.
Guns do not go off on their own. By their mechanical design, the action of the trigger is the only mechanism meant to initiate the sear towards striking the primer of the bullet. Even with the Sig Sauer P320 incident where supposed gun experts slammed mallets against the back of the striker to set it off — not normal or safe behavior — this is not something that can ever be replicated by simply having a pistol resting in a holster.
You control the gun. The gun moves around you — not the other way around. Trigger control, trigger discipline, and the proper application of said firearm is everything to ensuring you have a safe experience.
#3: Back-up magazines for lazies? That’s how you end up pushing up daisies.
You made the decision to carry concealed. You made the decision that you were going to defend your family and yourself against harm. That’s a universal right thankfully recognized by our Second Amendment and most of our states.
Why wouldn’t you carry a back-up magazine?!
With most concealed carry pistols typically holding between six and twelve rounds, that can go surprisingly quick if you find yourself in a close quarters situation against bad guys intent on taking your life. As important as muzzle awareness, trigger discipline, and the fundamentals of marksmanship are, you can’t afford to wait until the police arrive to ensure you have yourself covered.
One back-up magazine can change all of that.
Even if you take into account the scant, dubious statistics suggesting that most concealed carry encounters typically take between three to five rounds at a distance of less than five yards — that’s a couple studies. Real life isn’t captured in statistical analysis. And you definitely don’t want to be in the situation where a seventh bullet in a six round pistol would have been the difference between walking away and an ambulance ride.
#2: You chose to carry the gun — you chose the responsibility for that gun
Carrying everyday? Great. You should be — everywhere, anywhere legally permissible. Because you made that great, fantastic decision, you also inherited the responsibility for what happens with that gun. As happy as you may be to never need to use it, you also need to be aware of where you put the gun.
Storing that gun where it can be taken by a thief — bad move. Putting it in a place accessible to other people who have no business touching it? Equally bad.
You made the decision to carry. That’s your decision. It’s a good one. Stay accountable for that decision.
#1: If you’re carrying a gun, you must expect to use it — even if you never use it.
While it’s completely likely — and downright feasible — that you should never need to use a gun in your own defense, you should never forget that this gun in your holster is your lifeline. It’s your ticket out of a bad situation that you never asked for and never wanted to be in.
The worst disservice you can do to yourself and those you love is being unprepared to use your gun to defend yourself or them.
Submitted by a USA Carry Reader